Extensible cable device



July 14, 1925. 1,545,585

H. KOCH EXTENSIBLE CABLE DEVICE Filed June 17. 1921 Hill!!! IN VEN TOR.

s! TTORNEYQ.

Patented July 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES HENRY KOCH, OF JAMAICA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO DICTOGRAPH PRODUCTS COR- PORATION, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

EXTENSIIBLE CABLE DEVICE.

Application filed June 17, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, HENRY KOCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at J amaica, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Extensible Cable Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. This invention relates to devices for supporting and automatically taking up slack in cables connecting portable electrical devices to a source of energy orother circuit which may bestationary. It has particular value when employed in connecting a portable electrical instrument to its wall connections.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved device of this kind embodying a reel in which the inner end of thecable can be easily and quickly attached to or detached from the reel and by the mere act of attachment or detachment make or break the necessary electrical connections to the cable; in which the attachment is such that the pull between the reel and cable is in a direction having little or no tendency to detach the cable from the reel; in which the cable can be wound upon the reel without the formation of humps; in which the parts can be separately and inexpensively produced in quantities and assembled with a minimum of time, labor and tools, and which is simple,

reliable, durable, and compact in construction, and attractive in appearance.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the'following description and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in claims.

The invention comprises certain details of construction and arrangement of parts which will be clearly and fully explained in the. following description of an embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is an elevation of a device constructed in accordance with the invention with the casing cover removed to show the interior.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the reel with one of the conducting side elements removed to better show the interposed insulating block.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section of the reel taken substantially along the line, 4.4 of Fig. 3; 1

Serial No. 478,453.

Fig. 5 is a section of the reel taken substantially along the line 55 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 6 is a perspective of the insulating block before attachment to the conducting elements to form the reel.

- In the illustrated embodiment of the invention a plate 1 is provided with a pluralityof insulating studs 2 projecting forwardly therefrom, said studs being surrounded intermediate of their ends by a metallic reinforcing sleeve 3; The insulating studs are secured to the wall l by screws 4 and a front plate 5 is secured to the outer ends of the studs by screws 6. The plates! 1 and 5 form members for rotatably supporting the pivot pins 7 projecting from the cable reel to be presently described.

To opposite faces of a block 8 of insulating material are secured dish-shaped conducting elements 9 and 10, each conducting element being secured to the insulating block 8 by screws 11 which do not extend entirely through the insulating block. The pivot pins 7 are riveted in alignment to the outer faces of the conducting elements. The insulating block is provided with a slot or groove 12 in each face abutting a conducting element, which groove extends entirely across the face and around the corners of the block. In each of these grooves is disposed a bowed spring strip 13 with its ends 14: bent at substantially right angles thereto, so as to extend around the corners of the grooves. The block 8 is also provided with an aperture 15 extending therethrough in a direction substantially parallel with the conducting elements 9 and 10. A twin cable '16 is wound upon the insulating block between the conducting elements with its inner end pass-- ing through the aperture 15 of the block and terminating in conducting pins 17, one for each branch of the cable, which are adapted to be inserted into the grooves 12 between the bowed spring 18 and the abutting conducting element so as to provide an elec-.

trical connection between each branch of the twin cable and one of the conducting elements. The bowed spring 13 yieldingl presses the terminal pin 17 against the a jacent contacting element so as to frictionally hold the terminal within the groove and in electrical contact with the conductin' .element. A coil spring 18 is interpose between the outer peripheral flange 19 of each conducting element and a sleeve 20 rotatably mounted upon the adjacent pivot pin 7. The sleeves are provided in their outer faces with depressions 21 into which project struck up lugs 22 in the plates or side members 1 and 5. The sleeves 20 are therefore held by the lugs and depressions against rotation relatively to the side members, and when the cable is pulled outwardly the reel will be rotated between the side members in a direction to tension the springs 18'. Upon a release of the cable 16 the coil springs will cause a counter rotation of the reel in the side members and rewind the cable upon the reel. With the terminal pins 17 extending into the grooves 12 at approximately right angles to the surfaces of the block from which they lead the pull of the cable upon the terminal'pins will be laterally of the grooves and pins and will have little or-no tendency to pull the terminals from the grooves. A similar efiect is obtained byalso passing the inner end of the cable through the aperture 15 in the block so that no fur ther securing means for the inner end of the cable is necessary and the cable may be wound upon the reel without humps forming in the winding.

A suitable switch device 23 having a bias to closed position is carried by an inwardlyturned arm 24 of the rear plate or side member 1, which switch device is included in series electrically with both of the side members 1 and 5. A spool 25 is slidably mounts ed upon the plate 1 and connected to the switch device to operate the same in an openin direction. The cable 16 passes throug the spool and has upon the. portion exterior to the spool, an enlargement 26 which is adapted to"engage the spool and shift the same to open the switch 23 when-. ever the reel retracts the cable 16 to a predetermined extent. The stationary portion of the circuit is connected to the cable through the binding posts 27 and 28 which are electrically connected to the switch device and side members. The circuit from the binding posts to the cable may be traced as follows: From the binding post 27 through wire 29 to one side of the switch 23 through the other side of switch 23 and wire 30 to the side member 1, thence through the adjacent pivot pin 7 to conducting element 9 of the reel and then through one of theterminal pins 17 to one branch of the twin cable. The current returns by the other branch of the twin cable to its terminal pin, thence to the other conducting element 10 of the reel, its pivot pin 7 to the side member 5, thence by wire 31 to binding post 28. The entire reel and switch 23 may be enclosed by a case 32 which is attached to the plate 1.

It will be seen that as the cable 16 is pulled outwardly or is retracted by the springs connected to the reel an electrical whenever the cable has been retracted to a previously determined extent.

It will be obvious that various changes in the details and arrangements of parts of the illustrated embodiment may be made within the principle and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In an extensible cable device, a frame having spaced insulated side members, a pair of conducting elements, a block of insulating material to the opposite faces of which the elements are secured to form a reel, conducting means for mounting the reel for rotation between the side members and electrically connecting the' elements thereto, said block having grooves in the faces abutting the elements each extending to at least one edge of said block, and a twin cable -having conducting terminals at one end adapted to be inserted into said grooves and bound between the grooves and elements so as to provide an electrical conhaving spaced insulated side members, a

pair of conducting elements, a block of insulating material to the opposite faces of which the elements are secured to form a reel, conducting means for mounting the reel for rotation between the side members and electrically connecting the elements thereto, said block having grooves in the faces abutting the elements, each extending to at least one edge of said block, resilient means in each groove, and a twin cable having conducting terminals at one end which are adapted'to be inserted each into one of said grooves and be forced by the resilientmeans against the adjacent conducting element to make electrical contact therewith;

3.. In an extensible cable device, a frame having spaced insulated side members, a

pair of conducting elements, a blockof'insulating material to the'opposite faces of,

faces. abutting the elements, each ofsaid grooves extending to at least one edge of said block, an aperture from one peripheral point to another of said block, and a twin ,cable wound upon the block with its inner end passing through the aperture in said block and aving conducting terminals at said inner end which are insertable into and removable from said grooves whereby sertable electrically connecting the elements thereto, said block having grooves in the faces abutting the elements, each extending to at least one edge of said block, resilient means in each groove, and a twin cable wound upon the block with its inner end passing through the block and having conducting terminals at said inner endwhich are insertable into and removable from said grooves whereby they are bound between the resilient means and the adjacent conducting elements.

5. In an extensible cable device, a frame having spaced insulated side members, a reel comprising two spaced conducting elements coupled to an interposed block of insulation material, conducting means for supporting the reel for rotation bet-ween the side members and electrically connecting each element to the adjacent side member, said block having grooves along the faces abutting the elements and each extending to at least one edge of said block, bowedspring strips disposed in said grooves, and a twin 'cable wound upca the block with its inner end provided with conducting terminals ininto and removable from the grooves whereb they are held by the spring strips against the adjacent elements and in electrical contact therewith.

6. In an extensible cable device, a block of insulating material, a pair of conducting elements secured to opposite faces of said block to form therewith a reel, a groove extending across each face of the block engaged by the elements and around the corners at the edges intersected by each groove, bowed spring strips disposed in each of said grooves with bent ends extending around the corners whereby the spring strips will be held within the grooves by their bent ends and the abutting elements, a twin cable, wound'upon the block with its inner end provided with conducting terminals insertable into and'removabl e fromsaid grooves and between the spring strips and elements, and means for mounting sa1d reel for rotation about its axis and forming electrical connections to each conducting element of the reel during rotation. r

7. In an extensible cable device, a block of insulating material, a pair of conducting elements secured to opposite faces of said block to form therewith a reel, said block having a groove extending across each face thereof and around the corners at the edges intersected by each groove and also having an aperture from one peripheral point to another, bowed spring strips disposed in each of said grooves with bent ends extendtheir bent ends and the abutting elements, a

twin cable wound upon the block with its inner end passing through the aperture in said block and terminating in conducting pins that are insertable into and removable from said grooves and between the spring strips and elements, means for mounting said reel for rotation about its axis and forming electrical connections to each conducting element of the reel during rotation.

8. In an extensible cable device, a block of insulating material, a pair of elemen s secured to opposite faces of said block to form therewith a reel, one of the elements at its central portion being a conductor of electricity, a groove extendingv across the face of the block which is engaged by the conducting portion of the said one element, said groove also extending around the corners of the edges intersected thereby at the be held within the groove by its bent endsand by the abutting element, a cable wound upon the bloclc with its inner end provided with a conducting terminal insertable into and removable from the groove between the spring strip and the abutting element, and means for mounting the reel for rotation about its axis and for forming an electrical connection tothe conducting portion of said one element. 9. In an extensible cable device, a block of insulating material, a pair of elements secured to opposite faces of said block to form therewith a reel, one of the elements at its central portion being a conductor of electricity, said block having an aperture. extending from one peripheral point to another and also a groove extending across the face thereof which is engaged by the conducting portion of the said one element, sa1d groove also extending around the corners of the edges intersected thereby atthe ends of the face, a bowed spring strip disposed in the groove in the said one face with bent ends extending around the corners in the groove whereby the spring strip will be held within the groove by its bent ends and by the abutting element, a cable wound upon the block with its inner end passing through the aperturein said block and terminating in a conducting pin that is insertable into and removable from the groove between the spring strip and the abuttingelement, and

means for mounting the reel for rotation v 10. In an extensible cable device, a block of insulating material, a pair of elements secured to opposite faces of said block to form therewith a reel, one of the elements at its central portion being a conductor of electricity, said block having a groove in the face which is engaged by the conducting portion of the said one element, said groove extending to at least one edge of said block, a cable wound upon the block and terminating at its inner end with a pin insertable into and removable from the groove to be bound when within the groove against the conducting portion of the element and have electrical contact therewith, and means for mounting the reel for rotation about its axis and for continuously forming an electrical connection to the conducting portion of said one element.

11. In an extensible cable device, a block of insulating material a pair of elements secured to opposite faces of said block to.

form therewith a reel. one of the elements at its central portion being a conductor of .electriclty, said block having a groove in the face which is engaged by the conducting portion of the said one element, and also having an aperture therewith approximately parallel with the elements, saidgroove extending to at least one edge of said block, a cable wound upon the block with its-inner endpassing through the aperture of the block and terminating in a pin which is in-- sortable intoand removable from the groove to be bound when within the groove agalnst the conducting portion of the element and have electrical contact therewith, and means for mounting the reel for rotation about its axis and for continuously forming anelectrical connection to the conductingportion of said one element.

12. In an extensible cable device, a reel comprising a hub of insulating material,

and a pair of conducting elements secured to opposite faces of the hub, and a twin branch cable wound upon the hub and having at its inner end a conducting terminal foreach branch of the cable clamped between each conducting element and the hub to form an electrical connection between each branch of the cable and the abutting conducting element.

13. In an extensible cable device, a reel comprising a pair of conducting elements and a hub-for connecting the elements and insulating them from one another, said hub having an aperture extending from one peripheral point to-another, and a twin cable wound upon the hub with its inner end passing through the aperture in said hub and provided with a conducting terminal on each branch, said terminals being clamped,

14. Inan extensible cable device, a reel comprising a hub and side elements secured to opposite faces of the hub, said hub hav ing an aperture extending from one peripheral point to another, and a cable wound upon the hub with its inner end passing through the aperture in said hub and having its inner terminal clamped between the hub and one of the side elements.

15. In an extensible cable device, a reel comprising a hub and side elements secured to opposite faces of the hub, and a cable wound upon the hub with its inner end extending between a side element and the abutting hub face in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the hub at the point where the end enters the space between the hub and the side element, said inner end being clamped between the hub face and side element between which it extends.

, 16. In an extensible cable device, a reel comprising a hub and side elements secured to opposite faces of the hub, said hub havssl the hub at the point of entrance between the side element and the hub,-said inner end being clamped between the hub face and side element between which it extends.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my signature.

HENRY KOGIH. 

